Morning journal and courier., 1887-08-02

There is dear little lady in Ostend who captured me completely. She can't be over six-ten at the outside. Her head is covered all over with thick growth of gold and yellow, in which the sunlight delights to hide itself and shine forth again with re- freshed sparkles. Her eyes would command millions as sapphires. They are sure to look down every misery and trouble of life; and her dear little nose and mouth have lines as fine as a sparrow's bill. Her cheeks are rus set, and all over she is cherries and straw berries and roses. She and her clod-hopper beau or brother had dug huge hole in the sand with high thing in the middle, and thereon they danced and tumbled. When he tumbled he was inclined to stay, but she bounded like ball, dancing, laughing, sing ing, growing all the while. She had but one wee garment and that you hardly saw. Af- ter 8 while she noticed that was fascinated. Then she danced and tumbled and erowed all the madder. Off little way was a stand of cakes, candies and all such things. I beckoned with my hand and she came, and when pointed to the cooky stand you should have seen those little eyes drop and with suppressed glee look up at me out of their corners. She walked by my side to the stand as demurely as judge. She selected an enormous cake nearly two feet in diame- ter and started off on a dead run for the clod-hopper. She had not taken ten bounds before she stopped and turned back. I knew exactly what her little heart was saying to her: ''You have not thanked him." Two little hesitating steps and then, when 1 put out my arms, a scream and jump-and if ever poor old scallywag got more heaven born and purifying kiss let him come for ward and testify. All the next day I looked for her in vain and left Ostend with the fear that that awful cake had been too much for both her and her devoted clod-hopper. Dear little lady, you are the sweetest thing have seen in all my journeyings.
 Ostend oysters are renowned all over Flu rope. They command 8 higher price than any other oysters and are sure to be selected by epicures for their menu The chief pe- culiarity of Ostend oysters is that there is no such thing as an Ostend oyster. "Paradoxical as this may appear, it is nevertheless true." The Ostend oystermen import their oysters from England, and you ought to see and taste one of the imported bivalves. Small, rough and irregular shell; color of an angle worm; taste brackish, utterly uneatable. This oyster is placed on platform and sunk in pond so arranged that at each tide fresh sea water flows over him, and the water about Ostend, on account of the vast shall lows and rapid evaporation, is said to be salter than any other of Europe. After about six weeks the shell is smooth and even. The oyster has not grown much, for he has had nothing to eat but the trif1es COIL tained in the salt water; but he is round very hard and plump; very white and ill my opinion more appetizing than the best Blue Point. When he comes from England he is worth about half cent. When the Ostend process is complete he is worth two cents wholesale, and at restaurants you have to pay from four to six sous apiece for him.
 Ostend is growing wonderfully. All along the French, Belgium and Holland coasts are sand hills-'dunns" they are called-which sometimes twenty or more feet higher than the land back of them. Scientists sup pose that they are thrown up by the winds, and that where the tides are greatest there the ''dunns'' are highest. At all events the ';dunn" at Ostend is about twenty feet high CT than the old town back of it. The new town is on top of the ''dunn" and consists of a magnificent walk about hundred feet wide and over mile long, back of which is an uninterrupted row of hotels, villas, &c, &c., while in front stretches beach unsur- passed for bathing and for all manner of sea- side enjoyments. There my darling had her sand hill. The contrast to the dingy and smelly Ostend of twenty years ago is striking.
 Another point to be recorded before bid adieu to the continent. There have been no good vintages on the Rhine for twenty years. Rhide wines are at present thin, sour, earthly and unwholesome. 1 have conversed with reliable wine dealers. I have heard their honest statements and have performed con. scientiously my duty as sampler. It is
 very sad but very true. Take a Marco
 brunner and Margraefer of three years ago and it is hard to tell the one from the other.
 The old wines are commanding fabulous
 prices and are-French fashion-being
 mixed in with the new to give the flavor that
 should be drawn directly from the soil. The
 various reasons given for this state of things
 would not interest the temperance folks ot
 your city. With Bordeanx wines 8 myth
 and with Rhine wines gone of, the cause of
 total abstinence takes courage and presses
 boldly forward. This suggests another top
 ie. When Disraeli was in power he needed
 the assistance of the liquor dealers-the
 most powerful body in England. They
 promised assistance if he would permit liquor selling on Sunday. This was little too much. Finally compromise was effected. The barrooms were to be open after morn ing and until afternoon service; and then again at six. And so it is in London to day. Every bar opens it's doors at one o'clock p. m; and everyone can tipple till D. m., and then resume at six p. m. Even Gladstone when in power had not the strength nor the courage to advocate change. The corpora tion of the victuallers, as they call them selves, is the strongest in England. The Prince of. Wsles has been forced to accept membership and to preside at dinners.
 Mrs James Brown Potter. Not to trust entirely to myself, I took with me one of New Haven's fairest bells. whose head is al level as her heart is white, and whose inn pulses, though quick, never outpace judg ment. We agreed perfectly. Therefore Mrs. Potter is lovely. She displays on the stage the exquisite refinement of well-borr and well-bred 1adyhood. She is tall and ha, more body than legs. Consequently she ha:
 right to be awkward. But she has surren-
 dered the right and has conquered grace
 Her voice is deep, low, daintily modulated
 and sustained throughout. Her eyes seen
 too true, good and simple for public use. Il
 makes one sad to see them, for you think
 that they never would have looked away from home and family freside had the home
 been happy and ths freside warm. The play
 was the most awful, awful, awful 'srot" lex
 cuse the term; there is no other) we ever saw in all our joint and several lives.
 It is too late and am too tired out with
 that miserable jubilated London to write
 fish have had and how bravely they have swallowed it. A little play in London is
 having great run. It is called 'tJubilation'
 and simply depicts the troubles of poor old
 chap who is jubileed within an inch of his life. Everything about him is jubilee from his frying pan to his ulster. Still to the bitter
 end he bravely takes off his hat with f'God
 bless her" whenever the Queen is mentioned.
 And now for day or two of Paris and
 then for home refreshed and rejuvenated. It is the duty of everyone who can to come abroad. Such contrasts, such novelties and all manifestation and developments of oul own humanity. No man knows what he is till he has seen as much of the world as pos sible. He can't know his own capacities ol his own capabilities until he has seen how other civilizations have developed qualities which his own civilization ignores. Int
 topic is too vast for present tackling. It ii after eleven and there is bed in my room 1 at least ten feet square. Though suggestiv' | of polygamy its invitations to sweet repost
 can no longer be resisted by FERNANDEZ. l A middle-aged man at the beach, who's | vifa thouoht the yatar too cold for hathin,